Utility apps such as CCleaner, CPU-Z, and even Intel WiDi reportedly wiped without permission.

Credit: Rob Schultz

Microsoft may have gotten too aggressive with the speed and stability fixes in Windows 10’s November update, which is reportedly wiping some programs from users’ PCs.

As noted by VentureBeat, complaints about the update have started popping up in numerous threads on Reddit. The latest complaint, posted on Monday, claims that the update had removed CPU-Z and AMD Catalyst Control Center from the user’s system. Previous complaints have mentioned CCleaner, Intel WiDi Remote, Speccy, and Cisco VPN.

It’s worth noting that not everyone has the November update yet. Microsoft first started rolling it out on November 12, while offering a media creation tool for users who wanted the upgrade right away. But Microsoft has since removed that tool for unclear reasons, saying that all future installs should go through Windows Update instead. The update in general has been causing numerous bugs, as noted by Ars Technica .

As for the removal of certain programs, one Reddit user speculates that it might be an intentional move on Microsoft’s part, aimed at eradicating faulty drivers and other system issues that might cause the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. Besides, users can always just re-install any programs they lost.

But that rationale is of little consolation to users who feel like they’ve lost control over the operating system. As one Reddit commenter said, “I would have preferred it if they gave me the notice followed by a ‘Click here to learn more’. Instead of taking it away and feeling like I was being treated like a controlled child.”

Why this matters: The removal of some programs illustrates the downside of turning Windows into a service with automatic, mandatory updates. Even if an update improves stability for the vast majority of users, there will always be edge cases that feel some pain as they’re dragged from one version of Windows to the next.